Water treatment unit

ABSTRACT

The invention at hand relates to an improved wastewater treatment plant consisting of a reactor and a filter device, such as for gaining drinking water or wastewater treatment.

The invention at hand relates to a device for the treatment of water,particularly wastewater and drinking water, as well as a method forperforming the treatment of water using this device.

In the water treatment process, the treatment of water occurs with thegoal of adjusting its consistency to the respective use, as well as tocertain requirements. Methods for the treatment of drinking waterinclude, for instance, methods for the precipitation, filtration,aeration, de-ironization, de-manganification, neutralization,disinfection, phosphatization, de-nitrification, and flouridization.Wastewater is water modified in its natural composition (drain water) byresidential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, or other use, as wellas the less polluted rain and snowmelt water draining from landscapes,whereby the type and concentration of the pollutants greatly depends onthe origin of the wastewater. Physical, chemical and/or biologicalmethods are used in the wastewater treatment that often must be used incombination in order to achieve a high degree of treatment efficiency.In chemical methods, pollutants are transferred into a form that iseasier to remove, or into pollutant-free reaction products. Reactionsare used, for example, that result in the oxidation, reduction, or theformation of hard to remove compounds.

In the biological method, the organic matters are metabolized toharmless compounds by means of microorganisms and microbes with a newformation of biomass. Generally, wastewater treatment is differentiatedby aerobe and anaerobe wastewater treatment. The aerobe wastewatertreatment occurs with the goal of essentially reducing oxygen-consumingsubstances, whereby organic substances are reduced by means of theformation of carbon dioxide, water, nitrates, and sulfates. Prerequisitefor the aerobe working systems is a sufficient aeration with air (or airenriched with oxygen, or pure oxygen). The anaerobe wastewater treatmentis also increasingly gaining importance, i.e., the geologicaldegradation of organic matter under the exclusion of oxygen, wherebyboth obligate anaerobe microorganisms, for which oxygen is toxic, andfacultative anaerobe microorganisms may be used. The anaerobedegradation is comprised of fermentation processes (such as alcohol,acetic acid, lactic acid, acetone, butanol fermentations, etc.).

In the physical method for wastewater treatment, the wastewatersubstances are concentrated according to their physical characteristics,such as particle size, density, and sink rate according to variousmethods. These include all methods that use solid auxiliary materials(such as adsorption, filtration, ion exchange), fluid auxiliarymaterials (extraction), gaseous auxiliary materials (flotation,stripping), thermal energy (distillation, vaporization), or gravity(sedimentation, flooding) as the separating agent. Particularly, methodsof membrane technology, i.e., separating processes performed with theaid of membranes, are also used.

In addition to wastewater treatment, methods and devices of the membranetechnology are also used in many scientific and industrial applications.Separation steps in the membrane technology can be classified byseparation limits into the classes micro, ultra, and nano-filtration, aswell as reverse osmosis. By means of these methods, particle sizes up to5 nm can be separated. The solids are retained by the membrane, and areconcentrated at least directly at the membrane, while the filtered fluidpasses the membrane. By means of a so-called concentration polarization,a covering layer structure also known as membrane fouling, is caused,which may be structurally influenced by various operating methods. Thedead-end and cross-flow filtration methods have prevailed as theclassical operating methods. They differ essentially by the fact that noforced incoming flow of the membrane is created in the dead-endfiltration, and the covering layer can therefore increaseuncontrollably, while in the cross-flow filtration the membrane iscross-flowed specifically parallel to the surface, thus achievingcontrol of the covering layer structure. However, after a long operationperiod, a reduction in the filtration flow still occurs, which is causedby a reversible covering layer formation. In both the dead-end and thecross-flow filtration methods a periodic backwashing has therefore beenwell tried, in order to achieve at least temporarily high and almostconstant filtration flows. The typical specific energy consumption for across-flow ultra-filtration is, for instance, at 3 to 7 kW/M³ infiltration flows of approximately 100 to 150 l/m²h, and a transmembranepressure of 43.5 psi [3 bar] to 72.5 psi [5 bar]. Comparable values areshown with the dead-end filtration, of approximately 0.1 to 0.5 kWh/³ atfiltration flows of approximately 50 to 80 l/m²h for a transmembranepressure of approximately 7.25 psi [0.5 bar] to 29 psi [2 bar]. In highvolume flows and at low added value, as is the case in communal and/orindustrial wastewater treatment, or in the drinking water extractionfrom surface waters, this leads to an unfavorable cost situation. Thedead-end filtration results in ever higher investments, however also inlower operation costs. This type of filtration still did not proveitself in this type of application, because its tendency to formcovering layers can lead to operational problems. The cross-flowfiltration is technically better suited for the stated application, butit does cause operation costs that are too high. That is why latelyso-called submergible system have increasingly been used. These systemsavoid the continuous re-pumping of the fluid phase, and therefore causelower operation costs than cross-flow systems. Various forms ofmembranes are used, such as hollow fibers, pipes, or disks, with whichthe transmembrane pressure gradient is achieved on the filtrate side bymeans of creating a vacuum at the height of approximately 7.7 psi [0.5bar] to 13.05 psi [0.9 bar]. These submergible systems are used, forinstance, in aeration basins of wastewater treatment plants so that acertain reduction of the fluid phase of the covering layer formation bythe motion of the fluid phase is possible due to the gassing occurringthere. However, a substantial reduction of the filtration flow in timedue to the uncontrolled formation of a covering layer is still anessential problem for an economic use of such submergible systems inwastewater treatment plants.

A filtration module is described in DE 196 241 76 C2 that consists ofcartridges, which contain disk-shaped flat membranes into which the feedcan flow from all sides from the exterior through the membranes.Permeate is discharged at the center through a central manifold. If thisfilter is operated as a cross-flow filter, it causes the problemsdescribed above, i.e., the energy costs will be very high. Mechanicaldamage may occur to individual membrane disks particularly at highoverflow speeds and an input of the feed solution from the front.

The technical problem based on the invention at hand therefore exists inproviding an economic method, and a cost-effective device for watertreatment, particularly for the filtration of high volume flows at lowadded value, especially for the treatment of communal and industrialwastewater, or of drinking water extracted from surface waters.

The technical problem is solved by the invention by providing a devicefor the treatment of water, particularly of wastewater or industrialwater, comprised of a reactor and a filter device in fluid connectionwith the reactor, whereby the filter device is arranged in the area of,or underneath of the reactor base, and has at least one filter elementthat is pivot-connected to a hollow pivoting carrier body, the interiorof which forms a fluid connection to the interior of the carrier body insuch a way that the filtrate can reach the interior of the carrier bodyfrom the interior of at least one filter element, and can be withdrawnthere. The intended inventive arrangement of the filter device in thearea of, or underneath of the reactor base, within or exterior of thereactor, enables the energetically advantageous use of the hydrostaticand/or hydrodynamic pressures for the creation of a transmembranepressure gradient across the filter element that exists in manytechnical units. The inventive combination of filter device and reactor,whereby in a preferable embodiment of the invention, the filter devicemay be produced as a module with stacked filter disks that can beproduced either of inorganic or organic material, initially enables theeconomic use of membrane technology for the filtration of high volumeflows at a low added value, for instance in the treatment of fluids, orsuspensions, respectively, particularly of communal or industrialwastewater, or in the gaining of drinking water from surface waters.According to the invention, a preferable embodiment of the inventionintends to submerge the filter element arranged on the carrier body,that is the filter device, especially in the lower area of the reactor,into the fluid, or suspension, respectively, to be filtered, and rotateit around the longitudinal axis of the carrier body, preferably by apower drive. However, it may also be intended to arrange the filterdevice, that is the filter element arranged on the carrier body, in apreferably cylindrical housing, and to position it below the reactor. Insuch an embodiment, the filter device and the reactor are connected toone another by means of input and output connections, such as pipes orhoses. The housing is filled with the suspension to be filtered, wherebythe carrier body rotates around its longitudinal axis is offset, forinstance, by means of a motor. Filtrate is drawn by at least one filterdisk that is pivot-connected to the carrier body, and discharged throughthe hollow shaft of the inventive device that forms a flow connection tothe filter disk. By means of the fluid motion around and between thefilter disks caused by the rotation, and the centrifugal force takingeffect on it, the formation of a covering lay can be effectivelyavoided. The transmembrane pressure necessary for the filtration canoccur, for instance, by applying a vacuum to the filtrate side of thedevice.

Preferably, however, as mentioned above, the hydrostatic or hydrodynamicpressure existing in many of the units suitable for the invention athand, is used as a transmembrane pressure gradient. Modern wastewatertreatment plants, for instance, have aeration reactors of a height of upto 20 m, thus enabling a transmembrane pressure gradient of almost 29psi [2 bar] due to the hydrostatic pressure. Additionally, a dispersionof the aeration of the registered gas phase often occurs in aerobeoperating reactors by means of fluid streams, for example, at velocitiesof up to 20 m/s. Additional usable hydrodynamic pressure of, forexample, up to 29 psi [2 bar] are created in this way, if the filterdevice used according to the invention is assembled into the fluidcirculation in front of a nozzle, such as a binary nozzle, for the inputof fluid and/or gas, or a gas mixture, such as air, respectively. Theinvention enables the energetically advantageous isolation of the crossflow velocity necessary for the filtration and other fluid movements, asthe cross flow velocity necessary for the efficient filtration iscreated by means of rotation of the filter element. The requiredpressure gradient is created equally automatically, and therefore at lowcost, particularly at a large height and filling level of the reactor,by means of the existing hydrostatic pressure.

As opposed to the filtration devices for wastewater reactors known fromthe literature, the device according to the invention therefore hasseveral advantages.

As opposed to cross-flow systems, substantially lower specific energycosts are the result, and there is no risk of clogging of the filterelements. Unlike with disk modules or Zee-Weed modules that areassembled into a wastewater reactor, there is the advantage that theoxygen supply of aerobe microorganisms is isolated from the filtrationin the inventive device, as the air supply and the fluid circulation forthe gas dispersion can be adjusted essentially independent of thedesired filtration performance. The control of the formation of thecovering layer is rather achieved by means of the rotation of the diskfilter, and can therefore be adjusted independently of the supply of theaerobe microorganisms. By means of possibly intended assembly units,such as a circuit breaker in the filtration module, the formation of acovering layer can be further influenced. The transmembrane pressure iscreated by means of the hydrostatic pressure necessarily existing in thewastewater reactors, and additionally by means of the hydrodynamicpressure, if required, which is necessary for the gas dispersion withthe aid of a fluid stream. Here, unlike with the cross-flow filtration,no noticeably additional pressure drop in the membrane module of therotation disk filter is required as the through flow of the module isnot required for the creation of high over flow velocities, but insteadthe hydrodynamic pressure is merely used, and the freely through-flowingcross section can therefore be selected at a large enough size so thatpractically no additional pressure drop, and therefore energyconsumption, is created. This results in substantially lower specificenergy costs, than with the cross-flow filtration.

According to the invention, a fluid connection between the interior ofthe carrier body and the interior of the filter element exists, i.e., adevice that enables a fluid stream from one range or area into anotherrange or area. This way the interior of the filter element can form aconnection to the interior of the carrier body by means of one orseveral orifices, tubes, channels, lines, bores, slots, porous areas,and similar, so that a fluid stream can occur from the interior of thefilter element into the carrier body interior, and a fluid connection istherefore created.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention at hand, the hollow carrierbody is a hollow shaft, such as a pipe-shaped hollow shaft. In anotherpreferred embodiment it can be intended that the filter element isconstructed as a filter disk. The filter disk can, for instance, beconstructed as a hollow body, or having a membrane, or as a hollowframe, respectively. According to the invention, for instance technicalmembranes commonly used in membrane technology may be utilized, such aspolymer membranes, membrane filters, ultra-filtration membranes, ormicrofiltration membranes.

In another embodiment, the invention also relates to a previouslymentioned wastewater treatment device with a reactor and filter device,whereby the hollow carrier body is in a housing, preferably pivot-linkedin a housing, particularly a cylindrical housing. Such a housing mayhave, for example, an input from the reactor, and an output, wherebyfluid to be filtered can be placed into the housing by means of theinput, and the separated solids can be removed by means of the output.The inflow of the suspension to be filtered preferably occurstangentially. This way the rotation of the fluid is supported, and amechanical stressing of the filter disks by an impingement of thesuspension to be filtered is reduced to a minimum. The solids, alsocalled concentration, can be discharged by means of a tangentialdischarge at the cylinder wall, or at the lower face wall. The filtrateexits the housing through the hollow carrier body.

The invention intends in another preferred embodiment that assemblyunits may be intended in the housing of the filter device forinfluencing the flow, such as a circuit breaker.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the filter elements haveclearance orifices for receiving the carrier body. In a preferredembodiment, the filter elements are at a distance to one another,whereby in a further preferred embodiment, the longitudinal axis of thecarrier body is vertical to the upper and lower sides, i.e., the basesurfaces, of the filter elements constructed as filter disks.

The invention therefore intends that at least one filter disk isattached by means of a pivot connection to a pivoting hollow shaft insuch a way that the filtrate can be withdrawn through it. In particular,the hollow shaft can be constructed as one piece, and can push at leastone of the filter disks through a clearance orifice that is arranged inthe center of the latter in a preferred embodiment, whereby at least oneorifice is intended in the area of the hollow shaft that surrounds thefilter disk with its interior lateral area so that fluid from the filterdisk can get into the interior of the hollow shaft.

In another embodiment it can be intended that the carrier body,particularly the hollow shaft, is constructed of several pieces ofvarious hollow sections, such as multi-shaped hollow sections, wherebythe various sections of the carrier body are separate toward the inputfluid to be filtered, and equally connected in a fluid seal by means ofthe same by filter elements arranged between the sections. In thisembodiment, a fluid connection, such as an orifice between the interiorof the carrier body and the filter element, is also intended. Thefiltrate penetrating the interior of the filter disks can get from theinterior of the filter disk into the interior to the hollow shaft inthis way, and be discharged by it.

The invention further intends that the filter device used according tothe invention is constructed as a modular assembly.

The filter device used according to the invention can be used either inaerobe or anaerobe operating systems, such as in wastewater treatment orwastewater processing systems. For instance, the filter device can beassembled in the aerating phase of a wastewater treatment plant, andrepresents a modern system for biomass retention, and therefore for theconcentration of biomass. According to the invention, the filter devicecan, of course, also be used for the separation of the input flow towastewater treatment plants after, or instead of the preliminarywastewater treatment. This separates the input flow into a carbon-richconcentrate that can be converted anaerobe into biogas, and into acarbon-low filtrate that can be converted aerobe in, for instance,high-performance wastewater reactors. Of course, it is also possible touse the inventive device for gaining drinking water from surface waters.The inventive device can also be constructed as a device containingunits for the carrying in of air or gas, and allows aerobe operations.The inventive device can also be constructed as an air, or gastightsealed device, or as a device equipped with an air or gastight reactor,or even as a device allowing an anaerobe operation by other means. Sucha device of the latter type allows a filtration that is low in operatingcosts in the course of bioprocesses that require no aerial oxygen, suchas de-nitrification, or no oxygen at all, such as lactic acid, ethanol,or acetone-butanol fermentation.

The problem based on the invention is also solved by means of providinga method for the treatment of water, particularly wastewater anddrinking water, in the course of which a separation of a filtrate fromsolids occurs from the water to be purified, and whereby one of theinventive devices is used. Particularly, the invention thereby relatesto a method for gaining drinking water, or for the treatment ofwastewater, according to which an inventive filter device is to be used,i.e., a hollow and pivoting carrier body, that is connected pivot-proofto at least one filter element, in for instance, a housing, that isessentially under the influence of only hydrostatic and/or hydrodynamicpressure. It is exposed to the water to be purified, and is offset intoa pivoting movement for the creation of an overflow velocity, and thefiltrate flowing in through at least one of the filter elements into theinterior of the hollow carrier body is discharged by the hollow carrierbody, and the concentrate is separated. Applying a vacuum on thefiltrate side, or applying overpressure on the inflow side instead of,or in addition to the previously described hydrostatic or hydrodynamicpressure, can also be intended.

According to the method of the invention at hand, the fluid orsuspension contained in the reactor that is to be purified, creates ahydrostatic pressure that acts upon a filter device used according tothe invention in the lower area of the reactor, for instance, in thearea of the reactor base, or, if arranged externally, particularly belowthe reactor, and then connected to the reactor by means of connectionmeans, in such a way that a transmembrane pressure gradient is createdby means of the filter element, which enables the filtration of thefluid or suspension to be filtered in an energetically advantageous way.According to the invention, an advantageous embodiment may intend that,if the filter device that is preferably arranged in a housing isarranged below the base of an aerobe operating reactor, a nozzle,particularly a binary nozzle, is arranged in the reactor base, the airand the concentrate fed from the filter device is injected into thereactor, and thereby creates a pressure that acts on the filter devicein addition to the hydrostatic pressure, namely a hydrodynamic pressure.

In a further embodiment, the invention relates to a previously mentionedmethod, whereby the water to be treated is inflow water flowing to awastewater treatment plant, which is fed to a previously mentioneddevice for the treatment of water, in which the reactor is constructedas the inflow basin containing the inflow water, and the filtratedischarged according to the previously mentioned method after theseparation of the concentrate is fed to an aeration reactor that is downstreamed to the inflow basin, which in a preferred embodiment canrepresent part of an additional device according to the invention athand. Accordingly, such a procedural step for the treatment ofwastewater contains two inventive devices that are series-connected,each having a reactor and a filter device.

A particularly preferred embodiment may intend arranging a pump in frontof, or behind the filter device, that is, on the pressure or suctionside, which ensures a circulation of the filtrated, or of the fluid orsuspension to be filtered, from the reactor into the filter device, andpartially, back to it.

A preferred embodiment of the invention at hand intends to feed thefluid/suspension to be filtered from the reactor into the filter deviceby means of a pump. The filtrate is separated by means of the hollowshaft, and the concentrate, possibly together with air, is fed back intothe reactor by means of a nozzle, particularly a binary nozzle, whereby,for instance in a wastewater reactor, desirably high cell densities ofmicroorganisms can be achieved.

A further preferred embodiment may intend to feed the fluid/suspensionto be filtered from the reactor into the filter device arrangedpreferably in a housing, whereby the filtrate is separated by means ofthe hollow shaft, and the concentrate is fed to a nozzle, particularly abinary nozzle, that is preferably arranged in the reactor base, by meansof a pump, which feeds the concentrate together with air into thereactor.

A further preferred embodiment may intend not to feed the concentrateback into the reactor. In such an embodiment the suspension to befiltered can be fed from the reactor to the filter device that ispreferably arranged in a housing, by means of a pump. The concentrate isdischarged, for instance, into a septic unit, and the filtrate isdischarged by means of the hollow shaft. Part of the suspension/fluidfed by means of the pump is not fed to the filter device, but insteaddirectly to a nozzle that is preferably arranged in the reactor base,which possibly feeds the suspension together with air back to thereactor. A certain controlled cell density in the reactor can beadjusted in this way.

Additional advantageous embodiments result from the sub-claims.

The invention is explained in details based on an embodiment example andthe related figures.

The figures show:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a membrane module with rotating filter disksused according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show various embodiments of the inventive wastewatertreatment device.

FIG. 1 shows a filter device 1 constructed as a membrane module with acylindrical housing 3 that has an inflow orifice 5 for the fluid orsuspension (C) containing solids, that is to be filtered, that isarranged tangential opposite of the housing, and a discharge orifice 7for the separated solids, that is the concentrate (A). A hollow shaft 9is pivot connected in the housing 3 that carries a multitude of filterdisks 11 that are pivot-proof connected to it. The filtrate (B) iscarried out from the hollow shaft 9.

The pipe-shaped hollow shaft 9 is constructed of one piece, andinfiltrates each of the filter disks 11 having central clearanceorifices that are not illustrated.

The functionality of the filter device 1 is as follows:

The inventive membrane module 1 used together with an aerobe operatingreactor that is not illustrated here, is mounted, for instance, in thefluid circulation on the aeration reactor in front of the notillustrated nozzle in the area of the reactor base so that the deliveryflow of the pump can enter into the housing 3 through the input orifice5. The concentrate that is fed through the output orifice 7 on thenozzle is accelerated to a high velocity in the nozzle, whereby a fluidstream is created in the reactor for the gas dispersion. Thehydrodynamic pressure created is used together with the hydrostaticpressure bearing on the membrane module that results from the filling ofthe reactor for the creation of a transmembrane pressure gradient, andleads to the filtration of the charged fluid. The overflow velocitynecessary for preventing the formation of a covering layer is effectedby the rotation of the carrier body, and therefore of the filterelements. This operation thereby occurs independent of the fluidcirculation in the wastewater treatment plant, and is thereforeenergetically decoupled from it. Filtrate enters into the interiorthrough the filter disks 11, flows through the fluid connection betweenthe filter disk 11 and the hollow body 9 into the interior of the hollowshaft 9, and is separated by the same. The solids exit the housing 3through the discharge orifice 7. During the procedure, the hollow shaft9 and the filter disks 11 that are pivot-proof connected to it rotate sothat an overflow velocity is created that leads to a reduction, oravoidance of the formation of a covering layer on the filter disks 11.According to the invention, the overflow velocity is thereby created bythe rotation of the hollow shaft, and is thereby decoupled from theinflow velocity and the inflow volume of the suspension to be filtered.Accordingly, the overflow velocity can be freely chosen. This procedureenables a substantially improved energetic operation of, for instance,drinking water treatment plants, or wastewater treatment plants.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a device 100 according to the invention forthe treatment of water comprised of an aerobe working reactor 40 and afilter device 1. The reactor 40 is a wastewater reactor, and isconstructed as a loop reactor with an interior flow guide pipe 50. Thecontents of the reactor are circulated around the flow guide pipe 50,resulting in an intensive thorough mixture. Also illustrated are theinput 110 and the output 120 of the reactor, as well as the base 30 ofthe reactor 40. The reactor has a filling level H, whereby a fillinglevel as high as possible is preferred.

The drive of the circulation flow available in the reactor 40 occurs bymeans of a fluid/air stream injected at the reactor base 30. For thispurpose, a pump 70 that is arranged on the exterior of the reactor 40,suctions wastewater at the base 30, and feeds it to a nozzle 60 that isarranged in the reactor base 30 by means of the lines 35 and 37. Thewastewater is jetted into the reactor 40 by the nozzle at high velocity,thereby achieving an intensive gas dispersion together with thesuctioned air 80. The membrane module 1 that is arranged below thereactor 40 is located between the pump 70 and the nozzle 60. Themembrane module 1 is under the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid head ofthe wastewater reactor 40, and under the hydrodynamic pressure that iscreated by the pump 70 with the aid of the nozzle 60. Both pressurescreate a transmembrane pressure gradient that enables the filtration ofthe wastewater in a cost-effective way. The filtrate flow B is drainedfrom the hollow shaft 9, while the concentrate flow A is fed to thenozzle 60, and is jetted into the reactor 40 together with air 80.

FIG. 3 essentially shows the same wastewater reactor 40 as FIG. 2. Thesame reference symbols identify assembly or functionally equal parts.Unlike the wastewater treatment plant 100 according to FIG. 2, thefilter device 1 according to FIG. 3 is not arranged on the pressureside, but on the suction side of the pump 70 instead so that thehydrostatic pressure merely acts as a transmembrane pressure gradient inthis embodiment. Also according to FIG. 3, the filter device 1 isarranged in a housing 3 below the reactor base 30 of the reactor 40.

The device according to FIG. 4 essentially shows the same wastewaterreactor 40 as FIGS. 2 and 3. The filter device 1 is arranged on thepressure side of the pump 70. Unlike with the device according to FIG.2, the concentrate flow A, however, is not fed to the nozzle 60, but iswithdrawn from the membrane module 1, and can be directly directed to,for instance, the sludge digestion. According to this embodiment of theinventive device, the biomass concentration in the wastewater reactor 40can be adjusted as desired.

EXAMPLE

The following example serves to illustrate the cost advantage of theinventive apparatus in comparison to a common cross-flow filtration bymaking reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

For the biological degradation of industrial wastewater, a modernwastewater treatment plant 100 is operated with a biological stepconsisting of a loop reactor 40 with a filtration unit 1 occupied byaerobe microorganisms. Wastewater possesses a chemical oxygenconsumption (CSB) of approximately 7900 mg/l and uses approximately20000 m³ per year. It is biologically well degradable with a suctionrate of 90% at a hydraulic residence time of about 20 h. The loopreactor 40 has a diameter of 2 m, and a filling level of 15 m, its fluidvolume is therefore approximately 45 m³ at a gas content of about 5%.For the oxygen supply of aerobe microorganisms air with a volume flow ofabout 170 to 200 m³ per hour must be fed to the loop reactor 40 on thebottom, in the area of the base 30. For the dispersion of gas into smallbubbles, and therefore for the creation of a sufficiently large matterexchange surface for the oxygen supply, the fed air flow is separated bymeans of a fluid stream created by a nozzle 60 that is arranged at thebase 30 of the reactor. For this purpose, a fluid stream of about 35m³/h is withdrawn from the loop reactor 40 at the base 30, and fed tothe nozzle 60 for the gas dispersion through the lines 35 and 37 withthe aid of a pump 70. The hydrodynamic pressure created is approximately29 psi [2 bar]; the static pressure due to the fluid head is, however,barely 21.75 psi [1.5 bar]. Of course, a gas dispersion may also occurwithout a nozzle, for instance, by means of static gassing units, suchas punched plates, perforated hoses, boards, etc. The output entryrequired for the fluid stream without consideration of the pump effectrate, is about 2 kW, resulting in a specific hydraulic output entry ofbelow 50 W/m³. In order to increase the active biomass in the system,the loop reactor 40 is equipped with a filtration module 1 (FIG. 2) onthe pressure side of the pump 70. It is a rotation disk filter. Itconsists of 10 individual modules at a length of approximately 1 m, and100 each ceramic filter disks 11 of a diameter of approximately 0.15 m,and a center pore diameter of approximately 0.1 μm. The modules aredriven by means of an electric motor that is not illustrated, atapproximately 220 rotations per minute so that a specific filtrationflow of 70 l/m²h is the result without any substantial formation of acovering layer. The specific performance requirement of this filtrationis approximately 0.13 kWh/m³ without consideration of the motorcoefficient.

If a common cross-flow filtration were to be used instead of thedescribed rotation disk filter, the following data would be the result:

Membrane used: ceramic multi-channel element with 7 channels, each of adiameter of 6 mm; center pore diameter 0.1 μm. Length of module 1 m.

At an overflow velocity of 3 m/s, the formation of the covering layercan be acceptably controlled, and a medium specific filtration flow ofapproximately 70 l/m²h, and therefore comparable values to the inventivedevice in this point are the result. In order to achieve the requiredfiltration surface of approximately 32 m², approximately 240 of suchcross-flow filtration pipes must be used, which are mounted in a mutualmodule at 10 individual pipes each, of which then a total of 24 modulesare required. The specific performance requirement of this type ofcross-flow filtration is about 1.2 kWh per m³ of filtrate, and istherefore nearly ten times higher than that of the inventive combinationof wastewater reactor with rotation disk filters. An additionaldisadvantage of cross-flow filtration is that a high volume flow (pumpselection) is required, as well as the tendency to clog up if particlesare present in the wastewater to be treated that have a larger diameterthan the channel diameter (in this case 6 mm).

1. A method for the treatment of water contained in a reactor, whereinthe water to be treated is essentially fed only under the influence ofat least one of the group consisting of hydrodynamic and hydrostaticpressure of a filter device with at least one filter element that ispivot-proof connected to a hollow pivoting carrier body and that isfluid-connected, wherein the carrier body is caused to rotate for thecreation of an overflow velocity, and filtrate discharged from theinterior of the carrier body is separated from concentrate; wherein themethod comprises feeding concentrate back to the reactor through anozzle; and wherein the nozzle feeds the concentrate to the reactortogether with air.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein themethod comprises feeding the water to be treated by means of a pump fromthe reactor into a filter device positioned below the reactor with atleast one filter element that is pivot-proof connected to a hollow,pivoting carrier body, and that is fluid-connected, is filteredessentially only under the influence of one or more of the groupconsisting of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure, and the filtrate isdrained from the carrier body.
 3. The method according to one of theclaims 1, wherein the method comprises feeding concentrate back to thereactor.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the concentrate isfed back into the reactor through a nozzle.
 5. A method for thetreatment of water contained in a reactor, wherein the water to betreated is essentially fed only under the influence of at least one ofthe group consisting of hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure of afilter device with at least one filter element that is pivot-proofconnected to a hollow pivoting carrier body and that is fluid-connected,wherein the carrier body is caused to rotate for the creation of anoverflow velocity, and filtrate discharged from the interior of thecarrier body is separated from concentrate; wherein the water to betreated by means of a pump from the reactor into a filter devicepositioned below the reactor with at least one filter element that ispivot-proof connected to a hollow, pivoting carrier body, and that isfluid-connected, is filtered essentially only under the influence of oneor more of the group consisting of hydrostatic and hydrodynamicpressure, and the filtrate is drained from the carrier body; and whereinthe concentrate is not fed to the reactor.
 6. A method for the treatmentof water contained in a reactor, wherein the water to be treated isessentially fed only under the influence of at least one of the groupconsisting of hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure of a filter devicewith at least one filter element that is pivot-proof connected to ahollow pivoting carrier body and that is fluid-connected, wherein thecarrier body is caused to rotate for the creation of an overflowvelocity and filtrate discharged from the interior of the carrier bodyis separated from concentrate; whereby the concentrate is fed to ananaerobe working fermentation plant.
 7. A method for the treatment ofwater selected from at least one of the group consisting of industrialwater and wastewater which is contained in a reactor, comprising:feeding the water to be treated is into a filter device with at leastone filter element that is pivot-proof connected to a hollow pivotingcarrier body and that is fluid-connected, the carrier body is caused torotate for the creation of a centrifugal force on the surface of thefilter element, and the filtrate discharged from the interior of thecarrier body is separated from the concentrate; adjusting theconcentration contained in the reactor independent of the concentrationcontained in the filter device; and feeding the concentration directlyfrom the filter device to a septic unit without the interpositioning ofany additional concentration steps.
 8. The method according to claim 7,wherein the water is inflow water for a wastewater treatment plant andis fed to a device in which the reactor is constructed as an inflowbasin, and the discharged filtrate is fed to an aeration reactor downstreamed to the inflow basin.
 9. The method according to claim 8,wherein the concentrate is fed to an anaerobe working fermentationplant.
 10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the concentrate isfed to an anaerobe working fermentation plant.
 11. A device for thetreatment of water, comprising: a reactor; a filter device disposed inor below the base of the reactor, the filter device having at least onefilter element that is pivot-proof connected to a hollow pivotingcarrier body, the interior of which is at a fluid connection to theinterior of the carrier body in such a way that filtrate can flow fromthe interior of at least one filter element into the interior of thecarrier body, and can there be separated; and further comprising abinary nozzle in the reactor base.
 12. The device according to claim 11,whereby the filter device is arranged in the reactor.
 13. The deviceaccording to claim 11, whereby the filter device is arranged on theexterior of the reactor.
 14. The device according to claim 11, whereinthe reactor is a loop reactor.
 15. The device according to claim 11,wherein the reactor has an interior flow guide pipe.
 16. The deviceaccording to one of the claim 11, further comprising a pump arrangedbetween the reactor and the filter device.
 17. The device according toclaim 16, wherein the filter device is arranged on the suction side ofthe pump.
 18. The device according to claim 16, wherein the filterdevice is arranged on the pressure side of the pump.
 19. The deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein filter element is a filter disk.
 20. Thedevice according to claim 11, wherein the carrier body is a hollowshaft.
 21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the hollow shaft isconstructed of one piece, and has at least one orifice enabling theentrance of the filtrate into the hollow shaft in the connection area toat least one filter disk.
 22. A device for the treatment of water,comprising: a reactor; a filter device disposed in or below the base ofthe reactor, the filter device having at least one filter element thatis pivot-proof connected to a hollow pivoting carrier body, the interiorof which is at a fluid connection to the interior of the carrier body insuch a way that filtrate can flow from the interior of at least onefilter element into the interior of the carrier body, and can there beseparated; wherein the carrier body is a hollow shaft; and wherein thehollow shaft is constructed of multiple pieces and at least one filterdisk is arranged intermittent and fluid-tight between the individualsections of the hollow shaft.
 23. The device according to claim 22,wherein the carrier body is arranged pivot-linked to at least one filterelement in a housing.
 24. The device according to claim 11, wherein thefilter device is formed of modular construction.
 25. A device for thetreatment of water, comprising: a reactor; a filter device disposed inor below the base of the reactor, the filter device having at least onefilter element that is pivot-proof connected to a hollow pivotingcarrier body, the interior of which is at a fluid connection to theinterior of the carrier body in such a way that filtrate can flow fromthe interior of at least one filter element into the interior of thecarrier body and can there be separated; and further comprisingassemblies for the influencing of the flow in the housing.
 26. Thedevice according to claim 11, wherein the water is inflow water to awastewater treatment plant, and the reactor is the inflow basincontaining this water.
 27. The device according to claim 11, wherein thewater is industrial water or surface water, and the reactor is areservoir basin.
 28. The device according to claim 11, wherein the wateris wastewater, and the reactor is a wastewater reactor.